How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
July 29, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who'd like to know how George W. Bush really spends his time at his Texan ranch: Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (R)
Variety declared it "one of the ballsiest comedies to come out of Hollywood in a long time." No, it's not Judd Apatow's latest, but rather Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, the unplanned sequel to the well-received Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle released in 2004. In this one, the stoner boys are mistaken as terrorists while trying to sneak a bong onto their flight to Amsterdam – oh, Kumar! – leading the men on the run from authorities and eventually spending some quality time with good ol' Dubya Bush.
Though the original $9 million film didn't track spectacularly at the box office -- just over $18 million in domestic dollars -- its respectable DVD sales and rentals performance certainly helped warrant a second coming in theaters from its studio (formerly New Line Cinema, and now Warner Bros.) And the move paid off big time, with the sequel earning back its budget in its first weekend, and racking up close to $40 million total when all was said and done. To no one's surprise, a third film is already in the works.
Disc includes: Dude, Change the Movie interactive featurette, commentary with the director and stars, commentary with the guy who plays George W. Bush, sneak peeks, The World of Harold and Kumar featurette, 27 additional scenes, extras, Bush PSA, bonus digital copy
For people in the mood for solid, R-rated sci-fi fare: Dark City (Director's Cut) (R)
Fans of The Matrix (the original 1999 release, not the hit-or-miss – well, mostly miss – sequels) will find a lot to like in Dark City, a film released a year earlier than the Wachowski brothers' modern sci-fi masterpiece. The movies, which are equally concerned with artificial memories and habitats, also shared similar sets, as both filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Dark City stars Rufus Sewell as John Murdoch, a man who wakes up in a hotel room one day without any previous memories. While going on the run from the police and also a group of men with psychokinetic powers, he notices that the world at large has undergone some drastic changes, too. The cast also includes a pre-24 Kiefer Sutherland, the always excellent William Hurt and the always hot Jennifer Connelly.
Disc includes: Unrated expanded version; expanded audio commentaries, Introduction by Alex Proyas featurette, Memories of Shell Beach featurette, Architecture of Dreams featurette, production gallery, theatrical trailer
For people who don't understand how Martin Scorsese could include Gimme Shelter in The Departed, but not in a Rolling Stones documentary: Shine a Light (PG-13)
Concert films are nothing new. But one featuring the aging rockers of The Rolling Stones AND directed by Martin Scorcese? Now that's a great idea. Meet Shine a Light, a docu released earlier this year that for the majority focuses on two 2006 concert performances during the band's A Bigger Bang tour. And the hits are all (for the most part) here: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Sympathy for the Devil, Start Me Up, Brown Sugar. The film also features a few special guests, including Jack White (of The White Stripes) singing Loving Cup and Christina Aguilera singing Live with Me.
Disc includes: Behind-the-scenes featurette; addition bonus songs: Undercover of the Night, Paint in Black, Little T and A, I'm Free
For Buffy fans: Witchblade: The Complete Series (Not Rated)
Way back before TNT struck a ratings goldmine with two popular drama series, The Closer and Saving Grace, the network found success (albeit on a much smaller scale) with Witchblade, a supernatural series that made its debut in summer 2001 and lasted for one additional season. Based on a similarly titled comic book series that launched in 1995, Witchblade follows the adventures of NYPD homicide detective, Sara Pezzini (Yancy Butler), who comes into contact with a powerful artifact, called the Witchblade, which has bonded with various women – Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, etc. – throughout history. While trying to maintain a personal life, Sara at the same time struggles to understand and hone the weapon's mysterious powers. A feature film, The Witchblade, is expected to be released sometime next year.
Disc includes: Bringing the Blade to Life featurette; Wielding the Blade featurette; original casting sessions for Yancy Butler, Anthony Cistaro, David Chokachi, Eric Estebari, and Will Yun Lee
For people looking for a visual representation of the current state of MTV: The Hills: The Complete Third Season (Not Rated)
A spinoff of the now defunct Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, The Hills follows former Laguna cast member, Lauren Conrad (LC), and her new life in Los Angeles. In the third season, LC continues her pursuit of a fashion design degree at FIDM while working at a public relations firm. All of this is set, of course, against a backdrop of fights, drama and other good stuff with her friends. (It's MTV. What did you expect...music?)
The Hills draws criticism from people claiming that the reality show, though unscripted, maintains a considerable amount of staginess. Reliable blogger Perez Hilton reports that insiders have told him LC's job at People's Revolution is "totally a front,' showing up with cameras to shoot a few scenes and nothing much else. Others have noticed a character wearing a certain pair of shoes, for instance, in one scene, only to be shown wearing a different pair in the next. This doesn't seem to phase MTV though, as The Hills consistently ranks as one of the cable net's highest-rated shows. Season four premieres next month.
Disc includes: Virtual Hills Installation file featurette, Previews featurette, The Hills Guide to Hollywood featurette, The Hills Remixes featurette, Season 3 Press Photoshoot featurette, VWorld Promos featurette, deleted scenes, commentary, interviews
July 29, 2008
Never Back Down (PG-13)
Doomsday (R)
The Band's Visit (PG-13)
Surfwise (R)
100 Million B.C. (R)
64 Zoo Lane (Not Rated)
Alice Upside Down (Not Rated)
The Audience Strikes Back (Not Rated)
Avatar, The Last Airbender: Book 3 Fire, Volume 4 (Not Rated)
Baldwin Hills: The Complete First Season (Not Rated)
Beck Box Set (Not Rated)
Beverly Hills 90210: The Fifth Season (Not Rated)
Boxboarders! (PG-13)
Centennial: The Complete Series (Not Rated)
Cocaine Cowboys 2: Godmother (Not Rated)
Contact (Not Rated)
Cool School (Not Rated)
Cyxork 7 (Not Rated)
Daddy Darling (Not Rated)
Dark Shadows The Beginning: Collection 5 (Not Rated)
The Deal (Not Rated)
Dimples (Not Rated)
Discover Alaska (Not Rated)
Disfigured (Not Rated)
Epic Conditions (Not Rated)
Freakazoid! Season 1 (Not Rated)
Future By Design (Not Rated)
Ghostride The Whip (Not Rated)
Girlfriends: The Fourth Season (Not Rated)
Hair Extensions (R)
Hopeville
The Houseboy (Not Rated)
Inuyasha Season 5 (Not Rated)
Jean Nouvel (Not Rated)
Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed (PG)
Law & Order Special Victims Unit: Year Seven (Not Rated)
The Legend of Hero (Not Rated)
Lips of Blood (Not Rated)
Lost Boys: The Tribe (R)
Lucky Man (Not Rated)
Madame O (Not Rated)
Maria Watches Over Us: 1st Season (Not Rated)
Marigold (PG-13)
Miserly Knight (Not Rated)
Parking Wars: The Best of Season One (Not Rated)
Planets: Gustav Holst (Not Rated)
Profoundly Normal (Not Rated)
Puzzle (Not Rated)
Ranma 1/2 Season 7 (Not Rated)
Recount Democracy (Not Rated)
Scarlet Letter (Not Rated)
Space Angel Collection: Volume 1 (Not Rated)
Special Needs (Not Rated)
The Strauss Family (Not Rated)
The Temptation of Eve (Not Rated)
Turn of the Screw (Not Rated)
Wolves (Not Rated)
A Woman of Independent Means (PG)